“I didn’t know you don’t drink tea, Mr. Moor. I overstepped. I apologize.“But please reconsider ceasing the manufacturing operation.“Shangrila Group is the city’s big taxpayer. We have had great experiences working with all government departments—” Noah waved his arm to cut Winnie off. “Enough with the nonsense. We were only doing our job. You failed the inspection, and that’s the end of the story.” Noah smirked and quickened his pace to exit the place. The walkout put a lot of stress on Winnie. Standing there, Winnie drew a deep breath before chasing after Noah. With a forced smile, she said, “You’re right, Mr. Moor. We will shut down and rectify the issues.” Winnie did not want to suspend work. She merely switched her strategy. The priority was to go along with Noah and smooth things over with him. Winnie then said, “But can you give us some pointers to address the issues quickly? “I hope you can give us another chance before a complete shutdown,” Winnie pleaded
“He’s the Quints’ son-in-law. He scammed Shangrila Group from the top three families...”Zenny gave Noah a bit of Kaze’s back story and laughed wickedly. “Besides, have you heard about his wife, Darcy Quint? “She is one hot babe.” Noah remembered Darcy because he had seen her before. He chuckled. “I know her. If only I could have a night with her.” “Hahaha!”The snickers echoed on both ends of the line. On the way back to Shangrila Group, Winnie gave Kaze a call with a heavy heart. “Hello? Are you free tonight, Mr. Chairman? Can you attend a dinner invitation with me?” “What’s the occasion?” Kaze asked curiously as he walked out of Perfect World Group’s headquarters. “It’s with a boss in the Food and Drug Administration.” Winnie recounted the earlier incident without holding any details back. Kaze’s eyes flickered with harshness. Here came trouble. “A boss in the Food and Drug Administration, you say? Alright, I’ll go with you tonight. I want to see who he is,
“We are waiting for you to surprise us tonight, Noah.” The men were all from the same department under the Ministry of Health and Welfare. Noah was the center of the topic. They flattered him with a hint of reverence as if he was naturally superior over them. “Haha, I’m not just going to surprise all of you. I’ll make that woman drink with us and you guys can enjoy her.” Noah sat back on the chair with his legs crossed, taking puffs from his cigarette. Winnie and Kaze overheard Noah from outside the room and it made their expressions grim. Winnie took a deep breath before knocking on the door and went inside. “Hi, Mr. Lou, everyone. Sorry to keep you waiting.” “Ms. Souffle, you’re late. You have to drink three shots first before we begin.” Noah put his leg down and smiled. He was neither nervous nor embarrassed even though Winnie and Kaze overheard him. He then got up and introduced the others to Winnie. “Let me introduce them. Troy, deputy chief of the Ministry of
“If they are happy, and I’m satisfied, whether to modify the factory or not will be up to me.”Kaze frowned. If modifying the factory was solely at Noah’s discretion, then it meant that the man intentionally targeted Shangrila Group and gave the company a hard time. Though it was already clear, Noah blatantly revealed his intention, which proved how arrogant he was. Winnie suppressed the anger in her and bit the bullet, saying, “Alright. Let’s have a toast then.” She drank with everyone in the room and chatted with them. It was already inappropriate to let a woman drink so much but Noah did not plan to stop just yet. He spat a cloud of smoke at Winnie and said with a grin, “Ms. Souffle, go on.” “Troy and Baskin are famous for drinkers. One drink isn’t enough.” Winnie’s hand shook, and her face turned slightly pale. First three shots, then one shot with each of the chiefs. Her stomach was already feeling strange yet Noah insisted that she continued. He was obviously
“Fine, punk. You got yourself a deal. If you beat us in drinking, I’ll resume your factory’s operation!” Noah grinned and then continued, “But we have a rule. You can’t just surrender verbally. You either knock us out, or you go out on a stretcher. Now you wouldn’t be a pussy, would you?” His tone was colder than ice. Kaze challenged him repeatedly, which to him was courting death. If so, he did not mind knocking out Kaze on the spot with alcohol. Even if Kaze did not die of alcohol poisoning, his stomach would implode on alcohol. Winnie’s expression shifted. She was scared. They were no longer trying to compete in drinking, they were trying to get Kaze killed! Noah was shameless to make such a rule because he had the advantage of numbers on his side. All of them were veteran drinkers and they were trying to drink Kaze to death. “Don’t…” Winnie tried to stop Kaze from falling into Noah’s trap but Kaze tapped on her shoulder to calm her down. He then grinned at N
At the start of the third round, Kaze drank even fiercer. “This is getting boring.” He lost his patience in drinking one by one, so he asked the waiter for five bowls and filled them all up with whiskey. Then, he drank all of them in succession. Noah, Troy, and the others felt challenged by Kaze’s contemptuous gaze. Some punk from nowhere challenged them and looked down on them. They were furious but they felt deterred when Kaze finished all five bowls of whiskey. Including the previous rounds, Kaze had probably drunk more than three bottles of whiskey. Yet he looked fine and his face did not even blush. Was he immune to alcohol? “Guys, this punk must be on his last stretch. He’s trying to scare us off by drinking that much in one go.” “Yeah. We can’t back off now!” Noah believed Kaze was playing mind games with them, so he bit the bullet and drank another bowl of whiskey. Troy, Baskin, and the others did the same as well. “Let’s continue.” Kaze grinned. H
“Know your place. It is your honor to be at this table. Usually, you won’t even have the chance to drink with us! Don’t push it, son!” Noah leaned on the table and glared at Kaze, condescendingly warning him. He then grabbed his bowl and flipped it over on the table, refusing to drink no matter what Kaze said. Kaze scoffed. “You can’t drink but you won’t accept defeat. Is this how people like you do things nowadays? If you don’t want to drink, I’ll make you!” He then went over to Noah with a bowl of whiskey. Bang! Troy from the Ministry of Health and Welfare slammed the table and got up, stopping Kaze. “Punk, what are you doing? We are all important people in government offices. If you mess with us, you and your family will be erased from Lilyrose!” Kaze looked at the man and then grabbed him by the neck. “What the f… W-What are you… Gulp!” Troy struggled but could not break free from Kaze’s grip. Kaze squeezed his mouth open and started to pour the whiskey into his
“Mr. Moor, that’s insincere of you. You can just tell your man to send us the approval now, why later? You can’t even drink as promised, I can’t trust you,” Kaze said with a faint grin on his face. Noah did not know Kaze was teasing him. Annoyed, he said, “Punk, go ask anyone. I’m a man of my word! There are official procedures that we must go through, I can’t make the decisions alone. I have to get other people’s approval as well…” He was trying to stall and delay the decision. Since he was the one making the final decision, he could stall as long as he liked. “Enough.” Kaze stopped his nonsense and said coldly, “I am not demanding you to give us an approval now. Our game is still not yet finished. Let’s continue drinking!” He then went over to Noah with a bowl of whiskey. “Stop it! You are going to get someone killed…” Winnie darted over and pulled Kaze back with a worried look. “Punk, if something happens to me, you and your family will suffer!” Noah’s expression t
Kaze narrowed his eyes at the woman and drew close. “You’re a member of the South River Quints. Should you stand by your leader instead of stirring the pot and causing the scene? “Does family even mean anything to you? “Are you defying the family? “Who are you to disrespect Madam Quint and the family?” The woman staggered back with each question, her face draining of color.“I… You…” Flustered, she glared at Kaze. Still, she was at a loss in the face of Kaze’s questioning. “I assure you, Madam Quint. My daughter, Joan, doesn’t mean any disrespect.” A grizzled-haired middle-aged man with glasses came forward with an ashen face. “She was just trying to defend your honor, Madam Quint. She’s upset because someone disrespected you and arrived late.” This person was manipulative. While sticking up for his daughter, he also took the opportunity to belittle Darcy. “Doesn’t mean any disrespect?” Kaze snapped back, “Madam Quint hasn’t said a thing, but a nobody came out
It appeared Kaze and Darcy were not the only ones who got their hands on the special pass straight to the hangar. Five groups stood in close proximity, yet a clear divide was evident between them.Interestingly, that was as many branches as the Quints had in Ridgesouth.The smallest cluster belonged to Hector, Agnes, and Sky. They kept their heads down, hiding their distress. It looked like they were insulted. As Darcy and Kaze got out of the car, all eyes turned to them, and many sneered. “Can you even drive, Kaze? Look at the time! Are you expecting Madam Quint to wait for you? You have the nerve to show your face when you’re already late!” Agnes tore into Kaze. She threw Kaze under the bus in hopes of deflecting Phoenix’s anger from Darcy. Having seen through Agnes, Kaze did not make a fuss and explained, “Sorry, when we received word, Madam Quint’s plane was touching down in half an hour. “What? Are you blaming us for informing you late?” A tall and pretty woman
With Sasha putting the blame on herself, Kaze shook his head. He was not pointing fingers. “You can accept the pay from Herbal Spring.” Kaze said, “You’re not living at Herbal Spring for free. Your aunt is paying for you. Once you get into college, you can make more money to repay her.”“Really?” Sasha was skeptical. Besides boarding and lodging at Herbal Spring, Sasha was also taking medicine for her health. After working there for a while, Sasha had a general idea of things. Sasha’s medicine was expensive, and the medical bill was beyond the budget of most families. Kaze said, “You can ask Darcy if you don’t believe me. Your aunt even asked me if she had paid enough money when I was heading out this morning.” Despite knowing it was a lie, Darcy nodded. “Sasha, Kaze is right. Don’t feel burdened.” Sasha was naïve and gullible. Darcy’s statement gave Sasha the push. Since Kaze and Darcy were rich, Sasha assumed that her aunt must earn a lot. Her aunt could afford
Everett understood that Kaze would make a big deal out of the Golden Road at tomorrow’s auction. Of course, it was none of Everett’s business. He had no qualms about turning his back on Aiden. As one of the four underworld kingpins, Everett would give the Krads their due respect, but he did not owe Aiden anything. Aiden was an individual. He did not represent the Krads as a whole. “So that’s decided.” Kaze then said, “That reminds me. Have your people pick out a nice bracelet. I’m looking at the five-hundred-thousand-dollar range.”“Oh, consider it a gift from me. Just inform Marilyn.” Everett was quick to offer a gift. Kaze did not appreciate the gesture though. Everett was a cunning man. His generosity may seem like an olive branch. However, Kaze knew that given the chance, Everett would make him pay. Everett would never have the chance though. Kaze would fight back, and the consequences could be fatal. “Mr. Lee, Ms. Quint, are you happy with this bracelet
“I reckon that the stone might be important to someone within the Krads.“Aiden volunteered to take care of the business in Riverbank and go up against your wife. He’s not just here to suck up to his chief commander brother but to prove to the Krads that he’s better than the rest of the competition.“If he can gain that somebody’s favor, this can be bigger than his achievements in business.” Everett adopted the requirement analysis. Though Everett had no idea why the Golden Toad was important to the Krads, he understood Aiden’s needs. By grasping an individual’s core requirement, he was able to deduce something that was closer to the truth. “Has Aiden lost his head?” Kaze uttered in confusion, “He could’ve just gotten the thing from you at a better rate. Why is he getting to buy it from an auction?” Everett mentioned that the Golden Toad was worth tens of millions of dollars, but no more than a hundred million dollars. Aiden could have made a private deal with Everett.
“You can take a closer look at our mall’s prized possession.” Marilyn was adorned in a golden ray, giving off an almost saintly vibe. Kaze brought Darcy and Sasha forward for a good look. Encased within the vacuum-sealed glass display was an emerald gemstone the size of a fist.The gemstone was crafted in the shape of a toad, and it was remarkably lifelike. The jewel displayed no visible imperfection to the naked eye. Kaze, Darcy, and Sasha could not tell what was special about the gemstone other than its shape and purity. “What’s the story about this crown jewel?” Kaze asked. Marilyn shook her head. She was unsure why the gemstone was considered a prized possession. Darcy grabbed Sasha’s arm and asked with concern, “What’s the matter, Sasha? Are you unwell?” “I-I feel a burning sensation on my back.” Sasha looked at Kaze in agony. She knew that Kaze had a better understanding of her well-being. Kaze approached Sasha from behind and gently pulled down her back coll
“I’d like to hear from you, Kaze.” Everett was interested in knowing what Kaze was after. Kaze glanced around the mall, and a thought came to him. “You know what. You have quite a nice antique collection in Marlboro, Gem City. How about that in exchange for your son’s life?” Everett felt his heart sinking. Even with Duncan’s life at stake, he could not stop the fury from building. “You’re asking for too much, Lee!” Gem City? Gem City was worth ten billion dollars at the very least. Kaze had the audacity to ask for Marlboro. “Mr. Techman, please mind your attitude.” Kaze said indifferently, “You panicked when I talked about Marlboro. I guess your son’s life doesn’t compare to Gem City. “I didn’t think you’d choose assets over family, Mr. Techman.”Everett ignored Kaze’s taunting. Once his head cooled down, Everett figured that Kaze raised the stakes just to stay in the bargaining game. That was why Kaze rejected his first two proposals. Everett believed that Kaze w
Everett was skeptical that Kaze would kill Duncan in broad daylight. As an underworld kingpin, Everett understood that Kaze had ways to make Duncan pay. After much contemplation, Everett said, “Here’s the thing, Kaze. I’ll pay you 20 million dollars for the trouble today and yesterday.” “20 million dollars? Are you kidding me, Mr. Techman?” Kaze glanced at Darcy before walking a short distance away with the phone in hand. He said emotionlessly, “Since you’re helping Aiden to go against me, you should know that he wants my wife out of the competition. He established some billion-dollar barrier to stop her.“You might not be aware but Jiro Sakamoto, a Ryokanian of the Refined Blade, died yesterday, and Reiko of the same organization gave me a villa worth hundreds of millions of dollars right away. “If you think that your son’s life is worth 20 million dollars, I can pay you that money and kill him.” Everett was lost for words. He quickly picked up on the message Kaze had s
“What do you want?” The call quickly connected, and Everett’s annoyed voice came on. Everett never had the patience for his airhead of a son. Due to Duncan’s recent involvement with Kaze, Everett was humiliated, and he still had not let things go. Duncan looked at Kaze, and the latter took the phone and said indifferently, “How are you, Mr. Techman?” “Who are you? Wait, Kaze?” On the other end of the line, Everett was flustered. However, his experience dealing with challenges anchored him down, and he said curtly, “Why do you have Duncan’s phone, Kaze?” “You should ask your son what he did.” Kaze took the phone away from his ear and gestured for Duncan to talk. “Dad, this is on me…” Duncan sobbingly recounted the whole thing. “Bastard!” Everett blew up. “Why did you get involved? Didn’t you learn your lesson?” Everett came down hard on Duncan. However, Kaze frustratedly interrupted them. “That’s enough, Mr. Techman. Don’t play dumb.“I don’t care if you kne